Sitting with Koans: Essential Writings on the Zen Practice of Koan Study

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 352 pages
• Published by: Wisdom Publications December 30, 2005
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0861713699
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0861713691
• Book Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Weighs: 1.1 pounds

Product Description
The Zen tradition has just two main meditative practices: shikantaza, or "just sitting;" and introspection guided by the powerful Zen teaching stories called koans. Following up on his previous book, The Art of Just Sitting, John Daido Loori's new anthology illuminates the subtle practice of koan study from many viewpoints. Section one looks at the history of the study and use of koans in China and Japan, with essays from such important contemporary Zen scholars as Heinrich Dumoulin ("Five Houses of Zen"). Section two includes writings from the masters of Japanese Zen such as Hakuin Ekaku's "The Voice of the Sound of One Hand." Section three vividly portrays the living tradition of koan introspection today in East and West in such pieces as Sokei, and Sasaki's "Ninth Koan." These scholars clarify the nature of one of Zen’s most enigmatic forms, making the book useful to those with casual interest and indispensable to students of Zen.

Reader Reviews
Sitting with koans presents the history of koan practice and how koans have been used by Zen Masters for over a thousand years. I was impressed by the amount of research invested to help the reader to understand the roll of koans in Zen training. I now have a stronger connection to the ancestors in a way that inspires me to deeper practice. Sitting with koan is a must read for serious Zen students of all lineages.